Brian Roberts (born 1930,
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
) authored numerous historical and biographical works around prominent persons, places and themes shaping South African history.
Educated at St Mary's College, Twickenham, and at the
University of London
The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree ...
, he qualified as a
sociologist and a
teacher
A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching.
''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. whe ...
. It was as a teacher that he went to
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...
in 1959. He and his partner, biographer and historian
Theo Aronson
Theodore Ian Wilson Aronson (13 November 1929 – 13 May 2003) was a royal biographer whose easy manner enabled him to earn the trust of his subjects.
He was the son of a Latvian Jewish storekeeper, born at Kirkwood, South Africa and educated ...
, became disenchanted with the political regime in South Africa in the late 1970s and moved to England in 1979.
[Vickers, Hugo. 2003. Obituary: Theo Aronson. ''The Independent'', 27 May 2003.]
Books
Roberts' books include:
*''Ladies on the Veld'' (1965)
*''Cecil Rhodes and the Princess'' (1969)
*''Churchills in Africa'' (1970)
*''The Diamond Magnates'' (1972)
*''The Zulu Kings'' (1974)
*''Kimberley, Turbulent City'' (1976)
*''Randolph, a study of Churchill's son'' (1984)
*''Cecil Rhodes, flawed Colossus'' (1988)
References
External links
''Kimberley, Turbulent City'' Cape Town: David Philip & Kimberley Historical Society (1976). /. 413 pages.
English historians
Writers from London
Alumni of the University of London
1930 births
Living people
Date of birth missing (living people)
Kimberley, Northern Cape
{{UK-historian-stub